


A Tale of Brothers

by Bilbosama



Category: Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (Video Game)
Genre: AO3 exclusive, Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Do not repost on another site, F/M, Gen, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Role Swap AU, and aranella is the alien who got dropkicked into this world, do not copy to another site, marked as complete but small side stories surrounding this au might show up occasionally, merry christmas here's a kid having the worst day of his life, nnk secret santa, the one where doloran and roland are twins and alisandra is human, vague description of third degree burns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:47:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22037272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bilbosama/pseuds/Bilbosama
Summary: (A gift to detectives_heart)In one day, two brothers lose their lives and a king loses everything.
Relationships: doloran/alisandra, past doloran/alisandra
Comments: 3
Kudos: 14





	A Tale of Brothers

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Detectives_Heart](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Detectives_Heart/gifts).



> This was originally a one shot secret santa gift to detectives_heart/defiant-firefly when the tumblr side of the fandom was having a secret santa. Just sticking this here because tbh I should've done that in the first place.
> 
> So in this AU:  
> -Aranella and Roland switched roles/places. Aranella is from our world and Roland is from Evan's  
> -Doloran and Roland are twins and are 25 years old  
> -Roland is Evan's big brother figure  
> -Doloran has the Dark/Black Knight role because Angst(TM)  
> -Alisandra is human but at this moment I have no idea where she went. I'm blaming Vermine on this one.  
> -Aranella has been aged down to 25 as well but swords are not her weapon of choice
> 
> And as a result, some certain roles have been switched around and if the plot bunnies come back I might update with some short stories focusing on that.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Ni No Kuni 2. That goes to Level-5 and Bandai Namco. This story is originally a gift and I do not authorize it appearing outside of Archive of Our Own (under the username bilbosama) or Tumblr (bilbosama).
> 
> This story was originally posted on tumblr on December 25, 2019.

Fear gripped Roland’s heart as he sneaked around corridors to avoid detection from defecting soldiers. Today of all days, the mice chose to do this.

Tactically, it was a good move. The castle was already in chaos as everyone made last minute preparations for the ceremony. The weather alone nearly brought some of the more perfectionist types to hysterics.

Not that it matters anymore, what with the coup and all.

Instead of escorting Prince Evan to the throne room to begin the coronation ceremony and officially declare him King of Ding Dong Dell, Roland’s current mission as Evan’s teacher, bodyguard, and perhaps as the King’s spy master is to track down the prince and get him to safety, wherever that may be.

Prince Evan, a boy of eleven years, is too young and not ready to be king but his predecessor’s - his father, King Leonhard - death a month ago changed things.

At this thought, Roland silently cursed to himself again. He had failed in his duty to the Crown. Why did it never occur to him that His Majesty was dying from being slowly poisoned before his very eyes? He should’ve realized it sooner…!

…What’s done is done. The only way he can redeem himself now is to make sure the house of Tildrum survives.

His search occasionally lead to solitary guards standing by doors Evan and his sympathizers could take to escape. He alternated between his crossbow and his sword whenever he found the opportunity.

Eventually the muted sounds of a fight close by caught his attention. Are some people fighting back? Are there still soldiers loyal to the house of Tildrum?

He followed the noises (which oddly included one of those gun things a Broadleaf merchant demonstrated a few years ago but the weapon never caught on in Dell. Too loud for most of the population) to a set of doors and he crept inside to watch as a young woman let out a yell as she took down a mouse wielding an axe. She’s wearing clothing that was similar to the Broadleaf ambassadors who came to the funeral a month ago.

Further away, cowering in a corner, uninjured (…Roland hoped), with a knife in his shaking hands was Evan.

Whoever this woman was, she was doing a good job protecting the prince despite her clearly novice level skill in using swords. If they all survive this, he could perhaps teach her.

Unfortunately, she had her back turned and hadn’t noticed the mage behind her. Evan, however, did.

“Look out!” he shouted. His warning came too late as the mage was half-way into her chant. A fire ball was forming in her hands and would have gotten larger and deadlier if Roland didn’t stab her in the back. He then took down two more soldiers while they were distracted with his crossbow.

“Roland!” cheered Evan once his current guard finished off the last of her attackers.

“Are you alright?” asked Roland.

“Oh yes,” nodded the Prince before indicating the woman who had the sense to readjust her hold on the sword she must’ve stolen from another guard so it would point towards the ground, “it’s all thanks to Aranella.”

“Aranella…?” Roland ventured, hoping for a surname.

“Just Aranella,” replied Aranella who looked at him in suspicion (which Roland approved of since it must have been very convenient for someone loyal to Evan to get them out of a tight spot in her perspective), “until we get out of here.” She looked away, muttering something and all Roland managed to catch was ‘dream.’

“She appeared in my room by magic,” added Evan, answering one question Roland had been thinking about, “There was these weird runes and everything!”

“Weird runes?” parroted Roland.

“Uh huh!” Evan’s tail swished excitedly, “do you think Master Doloran would know what they are?”

“Master Doloran?” blinked Aranella.

“My brother,” said Roland. Aranella watched as something flittered across his face, the emotion too fast for her to truly discern. “He’s His Majesty’s magic teacher. And I’m Roland, his teacher in political matters and bodyguard.”

Roland then knelt down before Evan, serious faced, “Listen, Evan, we need to get out of here.”

“What’s going on, Roland?” asked Evan nervously.

“Chancellor Mausinger is leading a rebellion. He intends to kill you and take the throne himself,” was Roland’s blunt answer.

“W-what?” gasped Evan, his blond hair and tail’s fur fluffing up in shock, “B-but he was Father’s most trusted advisor!”

“I had thought so too,” Roland shook his head, “until I found out he was the one who had poisoned King Leonhard.”

“Shouldn’t you ease him into that?” said Aranella as she patted the shocked boy on the shoulder in an awkward attempt to comfort him.

“We don’t have time to do that,” argued Roland, “we have to get out of here while we still can.”

“Do you know a way out?”

“I have an idea,” revealed Roland, “there’s a passageway that leads to the sewers. I doubt many people know about it. If I remember this right, that door over there will lead us in the right direction.” He indicated to the set of doors to Aranella’s left.

* * *

The doors lead to the servants’ quarters where maids and a few wounded soldiers were hiding. They were safe but effectively trapped by the rebels.

Roland watched as a few maids surrounded Aranella, asking her a few questions before whisking her off to somewhere. She returned a few minutes later wearing a pink-purple maid dress and carrying a small bundle of cloth in one hand and the sword in the other. Ah. Of course.

He reached into his coat’s pocket and retrieved a spare arms band. He was going to give it to Evan but it was apparent Aranella would need it more if she was going to get out of this castle without looking suspicious.

“Take this,” Roland said without any preamble and handed her the arms band. He quickly explained how it worked and watched as Aranella’s eyes widened in awe when she realized that her odd gun (which worked like a cross bow and not like Broadleaf’s guns which was powered by a crystal and released energy on the target) was compatible with the armlet.

She also figured it out that, despite its name, the arms band can carry items that aren’t weapons either.

Aranella then found the bundle Roland had packed for Evan.

“How long have you known this was going to happen?” she asked with a sharp voice.

“I didn’t until a few hours ago,” was Roland’s bitter reply, “My main worry was more about Ding Dong Dell being invaded by a rival country so soon after King Leonhard’s death.”

Aranella stared at him before realizing, “Evan is more than just a student to you.”

Roland chuckled mirthlessly, “That obvious, huh? I was fourteen when Evan was born but I didn’t meet him until some poor maid needed help catching a two year old. I was just a low level minister’s son studying to take over my father’s position someday and yet I somehow managed to gain a toddler’s favor. Evan’s kind of a little brother to me.”

“And what did Doloran think of this?”

“He was too busy becoming one of the youngest court mages Ding Dong Dell ever had to pay enough attention until Evan needed someone to teach him magic.”

By then it was clear they were drifting apart. Doloran hadn’t realized how lonely his twin was until someone pointed it out to him (it was probably, Roland assumed at the time, the woman who later became his brother’s fiancée). They managed to close the rift a little but they would never be as close as they were when they were kids.

Again, the expression on the foreign woman’s face showed that she knew Roland was leaving out something important.

Fortunately for Roland, he was spared from further prying when a maid suddenly leaped back from the doors she was peering out from.

“The Arcane is here,” she gasped.

Fearful whispers filled the quarters. The Arcane is a masked wizard rumored to be one of Chancellor Mausinger’s right hand men. It was said that he had delved deep into dark magic to the point he can’t be considered human anymore.

Aranella crept to the cracked open doors and peered through the thin opening. She spotted a robed person wearing the gaudiest helmet she had ever seen. It was shaped as a bright yellow cobra with purple markings and the snake’s body wrapped around the Arcane’s torso. The dark smoke emitting from the wizard’s body seemed to give off waves of chilled air that Aranella could feel several feet away. She fought the urge to shiver.

She stiffened when the wizard turned to face the doors. After a few terrifying minutes, he walked away.

“We need to leave,” Aranella decided as she turned to Evan and Roland, “now.”

“H-how come?” asked an alarmed Evan.

“That wizard most likely knows we’re here and if we don’t get out of here, we’ll be surrounded by soldiers,” she explained.

Evan’s ears bent downward as he turned to look at the refugees in the servants’ quarters. It was clear that only a couple of soldiers loyal to Evan have enough strength to protect unarmed civilians.

“I’m…I’m putting everyone in danger by staying here, aren’t I?” Evan said in a small voice. Aranella felt the urge to hold him close and reassure the boy (and that’s what he just is: a mere boy) that he isn’t. But she tamped it down. There was to be no shielding him from reality.

The refugees all bade Evan good luck and blessings of safe travels. They watched as he, Aranella, and Roland stepped out of the threshold of safety to unknown dangers as they resumed Evan’s flight from the castle.

It would be the last time they saw him as the rightful king of Ding Dong Dell.

* * *

The entrance hall was filled with patrolling guards as if it was to be expected for Evan to try to escape from the front door. He was cut off from the most direct route at the start.

Roland glanced around before saying quietly, “the passage to the sewers is on the other side. We must be careful and quiet. Understand?” He received two nervous nods in response before leading the way.

There were suspicious red spots on the floor that Evan made himself ignore as the little group crept past soldiers. He didn’t want to think of people getting hurt…

Aranella made a ‘tch’ noise which Evan made stop in his tracks. He looked up to see her face go pale. He turned to see what she was looking at.

In front of the doors Roland said lead to the secret passage was a guard.

Evan’s ears went flat in fear. They were so close…!

“Blessed be by Oakenhart,” muttered the guard. Evan tilted his head in confusion. What?

Roland meanwhile seemed to know what it meant for he answered, “And your bounty too.”

The two stared at each other for a long minute that felt like an agonizing eternity before the guard stepped aside and said quietly, “May we meet again, Master Roland.”

Roland nodded before ushering Aranella and Evan through the door which turned out to lead into an ordinary study. Roland took a peek out the window (which Evan did as well out of curiosity – there was guards below them) before heading straight to the bookcase. He pressed a book’s spine until there was a clicking sound and the entire bookcase slid into the wall, revealing a secret passageway.

Evan waited until they were far into the passage to ask, “Roland, who was that guard?”

“Someone who proved to be still loyal to you, Evan,” was the unexpected answer.

“You mean there are mice that support a cat on the throne?” piped up Aranella.

“I doubt that everyone is willing to get a child killed,” said Roland bluntly, “Ernie risked a great deal by not raising the alarm. We should not waste the chance he’s given us.”

The narrow passageway soon led to the sewers. To Evan’s dismay, the area was crawling with monsters.

Aranella and Roland made quick work of them once the two adults decided to have Roland focus on the skeleplasms while Aranella fought goos. Evan kept close attention of their battles and would occasionally cast weak battle spells into the fray. He was working up the nerve to assist them with his knife next time when they at last reached the bridge.

…Or where there was supposed to be a bridge. The smell of smoke still lingered in the unnaturally cold air, indicating the bridge’s destruction happened recently.

“They knew we would come this way,” Aranella realized.

“What…what should we do?” said Evan.

“Oh, that’s easy, Tildrum,” smirked a tall mouse in green robes, flanked by a few skeleplasms, a shorter stout mouse, and the Arcane, “if you surrender now, I’ll make sure your death is quick.”

“Chancellor Mausinger,” growled Roland. He stepped between Evan and the Chancellor, his sword materializing from his arms band into his waiting hand. The Chancellor’s resulting smile gave off an air of malevolence.

“Step aside, Mister Crane,” he commanded, “so I can bring an end to the illustrious Tildrum line.”

“Never,” Roland raised his sword in caution.

“Then you leave me no choice, as much as it pains me to lose a gifted warrior,” Mausinger nodded his head, indicating for someone to move, “Come, Arcane.”

Roland heard Aranella make a noise but he didn’t turn to look. Not when the Chancellor and Lord Vermine are smirking as the Arcane summons his snake-topped staff as he slowly approaches Roland.

“Miss Aranella,” Roland called, still not looking back, “get Evan out of here.”

“Roland?” came Evan’s confused voice.

“You are the kingdom’s last hope, Evan. You must survive.”

“But what about you?”

“I’ll hold them off as best I can,” added Roland. “Go! Now!”

There was a mewl of surprise from Evan behind him and then a yowl of shock as Aranella presumably grabbed him and leaped off the broken bridge into the water below.

As Roland blocked a strike from the Arcane’s staff with his blade, he could’ve sworn he heard Evan distantly call his name as the boy fell.

The Arcane showed no sign of recognition.

* * *

“Roland!” sputtered Evan once he and Aranella regained their breath after escaping the river running beneath the kingdom. “We have to go back! We-“

“We’ll do nothing of the sort, Evan,” reprimanded Aranella, “If we go back, we’ll be captured and Roland’s sacrifice will be for nothing!”

“W-what?” the boy turned to the woman with a horrified expression on his face.

“We have to assume that Roland gave his life so you can escape and live another day,” Aranella lectured, “don’t waste it.”

Evan looked as though he was about to argue in favor of returning to the bridge before he seemed to deflate and followed Aranella into the only passageway available to them. He knew Aranella was right. Roland used himself as a distraction so Evan and Aranella could have more time to escape.

If only Evan was stronger! Roland would be down here with them!

Unfortunately, there were monsters lurking within the path. The two of them tried to avoid fights as much as they could. A couple of times, they had to frantically incapacitate a skeleplasm.

The only bright side to this was Evan’s improvement in battle magic. Evan imagined that if Master Doloran was here (and not presumably captured or dead), he’d be so proud of his student.

At one point they found a room guarded by a skeleplasm holding a flaming sword. Unfortunately for the creature, Evan was in possession of water magic which rendered the sword useless and Aranella defeated the distracted skeleplasm. She took the sword from the now dead monster and slipped it into her arms band.

The room turned out to contain a cache of supplies. Evan pocketed the cutlass he came across after noting how easily he could lift it. He watched as Aranella picked up a cooking pot and stared at it as if she didn’t expect it to find it. In the end, she filled the pot with some soreaway, flint, matches, and bandages and stored it all away.

“Well, at least we are somewhat prepared for the outdoors,” quipped Aranella before leading Evan out of the room and into the unknown.

They at least reached the end of the passageway. It opened up to a wide room that contained a ravine on one side and a path that led to a distant bright light.

There was a cool breeze that confirmed Aranella’s suspicions that the exit was close. Just a little bit more…!

Woman and boy were running in the exit’s direction when black-purple flames erupted from the ground, blocking the only way out. Despite the presence of the flames, the air became unnaturally cold.

Aranella turned around and to her horror, the flames had them surrounded so they couldn’t retreat.

The Arcane walked through the flames as if they weren’t there. He had no injury or damage to his robes. Not even the strange smoke emerging from his body looked any different.

He walked slowly but surely like a predator coming upon its exhausted and trapped prey.

It was possible that the rebels knew they would come this way, Aranella then realized. Roland merely and unknowingly delayed the inevitable.

This was it. There was no way out.

The Arcane chuckled. It was the first time Aranella heard his voice.

“So predictable, that you would come here. How amusing, Tildrum.”

“M…master Doloran…?” Evan’s voice was small. As if he had been betrayed one too many times.

This man was his teacher. A confidant. Roland’s brother.

“Hello, Your Majesty,” said the Arcane mockingly.

“W-why?!” cried out Evan.

“Why am I doing this? Easy. Power. The Chancellor gave me a taste and I wanted more. But we were both held back by unwanted obligations and trifling social conventions. With less ties holding me back, I will become the most powerful sorcerer in the world!”

His staff materialized into existence, “And I will finish what I started by snuffing out your soul.”

Evan made a broken, sad noise and rage filled Aranella’s heart. How…how dare he!

With a yell, Aranella charged forward with her trusty stolen sword in hand. The Arcane, no, _Doloran_ , stepped aside to dodge her. Aranella turned and attempted to slash into him but Doloran blocked her with his staff.

Aranella stepped back, watching him warily. His uncovered mouth formed an amused smirk.

Aranella knew she had no skill with sword fighting. She could throw knives and shoot a gun but that was it. If she had a hockey stick then perhaps she would have the upper hand.

Her only hope was to imitate moves she saw in movies. She will end up looking stupid but perhaps it would distract Doloran long enough for Evan to somehow escape.

Well, here goes nothing.

She bent down before charging ahead, as if aiming for her opponent’s legs. A warning gasp from Evan somewhere told her to quickly twist and turn away before the snake ornament on the staff could make a dent in her body. She straightened up and raised the sword over her head before quickly chopping forward.

The sword banged against the snake headdress on the wizard’s head with a loud clang. Doloran growled as the noise echoed inside the headdress.

With him distracted, Aranella punched him in where she hoped was the solar plexus. Doloran bent over, clutching his stomach for a moment. While he waited to recover he raised a hand and a ball of dark magic manifested. He launched the spell towards her general direction which caused her to scramble to get out of the way.

She looked around wildly for Evan before finding him hunched up against a rock.

An ‘ahem’ caught her attention and she had to block a fireball with her sword.

“It is unwise to look away from your opponent,” lectured Doloran mockingly. He said it as if he heard and said that many times in the past.

And then he started to float into the air. Aranella growled. Oh sure. Of course he would do that.

She ran forward with sword facing him, as if hoping to stop him from going too high. She managed to nick him in the leg.

(Wow, he never even tried leg day in his life.)

With a curse, Doloran rose up even higher until he was out of sword range.

He was not, however, invulnerable to getting drenched by a ball of water. He spluttered and turned his gaze to Evan who nervously but determinedly held a small wand in his hand.

“So, you are choosing to show your claws at last, Tildrum,” he said while his robes dripped water in mid-air, “But it will not be enough to save you.”

“Why don’t you come down here and face him like a man you snake,” growled Aranella.

“A snake?” The air somehow became colder as Doloran lowered himself to the ground.

“Oh dear. I haven’t realized that’s how you see me,” the headdress started to dissolve and Aranella was shocked to see Roland’s face framed with white short hair cruelly smiling at her.

They were twins.

“Allow me to resolve that issue,” his eyes flashed a deep red and his unnaturally gray skin grew yellow scales as his face contorted to become animal-like.

He smacked the ground with the butt of his staff and the transformation quickened with a flash of dark flames.

The flames died down, revealing a very large yellow cobra with purple markings similar to the ones that were on his vanished headdress. The smoke was now emerging from its eyes.

The cobra lunged forward and Aranella dived out of the way. 

Evan let out a scream and Aranella scrambled to get up. She can’t let the snake get him!

She then remembered. Of course!

A broadsword materialized and it instantly burst in red flames. There was no heat hurting her hands.

Finally, some sensible magic in her favor.

She ran up and slashed the sword against the transformed man’s side and was rewarded with a howl of pain.

The injured cobra swung its tail and it flung Aranella across the room.

She dazedly watched as it slowly approached Evan again and fear struck her heart. No!

She summoned her gun and fired. The cobra hissed as its cheek was grazed by the bullet.

The cobra turned its attention over to her and said with Doloran’s voice, “Sssssssince you want to die firssssst sssssssso badly, I will grant you your wissssh.”

The cobra lunged at her again and she fired the gun as she got out of the way.

The snake turned around and let loose a jet of dark flames.

Aranella was not its target. Evan, who froze as he watched the flames come at him, was.

She was too far away to get him.

A crossbow bolt suddenly embedded itself into the cobra’s neck and someone leaped through the wall of flames to push Evan out of the way. Aranella fired her gun and the bullet struck the snake in the eye.

Two horrible screams filled the air.

“Roland!” shouted Evan.

The snake stopped flailing and reared back as it, half-blinded, spotted the prone form on the ground. The black-purple smoke cleared away and the chilled air went with it.

“R…Roland…?” Doloran said in disbelief.

The snake shivered as if shaking in shock.

The snake’s form shrunk down and reformed into human shape. Doloran’s remaining brown eye was wide with horrified grief. A crossbow bolt was embedded in his upper chest and blood was spreading around his left hip.

“…Brother?” he said with great difficulty.

Roland made an awful sound as if he was trying to groan without making as much movement as possible. Evan yowled as he got closer.

Aranella wished she didn’t look down as she ran over to them.

The burn on his side was awful to see. She could see white peeking through here and there. She didn’t want to think what the pink was. It was clearly a fatal wound.

Roland attempted to raise his head but gave up after a few inches. He did not try again.

Doloran took a step back but he was unaware what was right behind him. He lost his balance and wordlessly fell into the ravine behind him.

Aranella held Roland’s hand and squeezed it. She received a weak squeeze in reply. He was still alive but…

“Help…help me up,” gasped Roland, “Evan…must escape.”

“You should rest,” said Aranella.

“Escape first, then rest,” Roland insisted.

Aranella gingerly helped Roland up and he groaned as he attempted to walk. He ended up tipping forward.

“Lean on me,” Aranella held out an arm and Roland complied so the woman could try to hold him up by the crook of his arm and shoulder.

The two of them hobbled towards the exit that lead to the outside world and uncertain safety. Evan silently followed them.

The small party was getting close to reaching the exit when Roland stopped in his tracks.

“I…I need to rest for a moment,” he said distantly. Aranella gingerly set him down into a sitting position on the ground and she was struck by how lifeless his eyes looked. His face was a terrible shade of gray.

“Evan,” he called, raising a shaking hand. Evan stepped over to him and grabbed his hand.

“Roland, please,” Evan pleaded as tears ran down his cheeks, “I can’t lose you too.”

“I’m sorry, kiddo,” Roland apologized, “but this is it for me.”

“No…!”

“You have to go be king,” said Roland as he weakly ran another hand over Evan’s hair, as if petting him.

“Not without you! I’m…I’m not ready!”

“No one is ever ready when the time comes,” lectured Roland. Aranella suspected that he wasn’t truly ready to die yet. “Sometimes you can’t fight against the tide of history. Life can be like that.”

He smiled, “But you Evan. You’ll be a great king. I just know it.”

Evan sobbed, “Please don’t leave me, Rolly.”

“I’m sorry, little bro,” Roland closed his eyes, “but I don’t think I’ll be there to see everyone live happily ever after…”

His hand on Evan’s head slipped off and landed on Roland’s knee.

Roland faintly heard sounds of armor clanked in the distance.

“We have to go, Evan,” said Aranella’s quieting voice as the pressure on Roland’s hand lessened.

“But Roland…!” cried Evan.

“He’s…he’s gone, Evan.”

Roland faintly heard footsteps fading away. He smiled. They got away.

(He vaguely wondered if Aranella noticed that he slipped his arms band into her own.)

And then came footsteps that he heard as clear as day. He opened his eyes despite knowing he won’t see a thing.

Yet Doloran was clearly standing before him, uninjured. His brown eyes crinkled as he smiled. He held out a hand.

“Let’s go, brother.”


End file.
